M. M. Frocht

Mr. Max Mark Frocht was honored for his professional accomplishments by the 1967 initiation of the M.M. Frocht Award. The award recognizes “outstanding achievement as an educator in the field of experimental mechanics,” and is presented annually.

Dr. Frocht’s work on photoelasticity research on stress concentration factors and 3-D techniques and his two-volume treatise on photoelasticity is considered a classic and has been translated into Russian, Spanish, and Chinese. Its publication was credited with revitalizing interest in photoelasticity.

Dr. Frocht was a student of Steven Timoshenko and many of his own students have made important contributions to the field of experimental mechanics. He presented papers and lectures on photoelasticity and experimental stress analysis in all parts of the world.

Award Guidelines      Award Nomination Form

In recognition of outstanding achievements as an educator in the field of experimental mechanics.

Krishnamurthi Ramesh
Professor Krishnamurthi Ramesh is currently the K Mahesh Chair Professor at the Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras.

He is a Fellow of the Indian National Academy of Engineering and has made significant contributions to the advancement of Digital Photoelasticity. Written the widely referenced first monograph on Digital Photoelasticity, Springer in 2000, and published a book on Developments in Photoelasticity: A renaissance, IOP in 2021 to popularize the use of photoelasticity in diverse fields. His lectures on Engineering Mechanics, Experimental Stress Analysis, and Engineering Fracture Mechanics are available on YouTube. He has also developed a virtual polariscope for online teaching and simulation and processing software for Photoelastic analysis.

He has received several recognitions: Zandman award in 2012, Distinguished Alumnus Award of NIT, Trichy (2008), and Member of the Editorial Boards of International Journals.